Setting up a Good Sleep Space
One of the easiest changes we can make when working towards better sleep, is setting up a great sleep environment. A sleep environment that is conducive to sleep can help decrease the time it takes your little one to settling to sleep, and how long they sleep! So how do we set up a great sleep environment? Read on….
Darkness: In the first three weeks of your little one’s life, they have residual maternal melatonin (sleepy hormone) on board, which helps them sleep in almost any environment. After three weeks this begins to wear off and your babe becomes more alert and often more challenging to settle. This is when darkness becomes an important tool for improving settling and sleep. Having a dark sleep space encourages your baby to produce their own sleepy hormones, by enabling their serotonin (happy hormones) to be converted to melatonin. A dark sleep environment can also reduce distractions, enabling easier settling.
Too much light can hinder the production of your baby’s sleepy hormones and signal to their brain that it is time to be awake, which can make settling and resettling difficult. There are a range of portable, temporary, or permanent solutions you can use to create a dark sleep environment – check out Tommy Tippee block out blind, or ergo pouch window stickers!
White noise: This is a fantastic tool for settling your little one and can act as a positive sleep association that can be taken with you for naps on the go! White noise can mimic the loud whooshing sounds your baby heard in the womb and can be very soothing for babies up until 12months of age. After 12 months, it is still a great tool to use to block out external noises such as household noises, alarms, siblings, dogs barking, and cars on the road, to name a few! White noise should be played as loud as a running shower and played continuously for the duration of your baby’s naps, and night time sleep in order to be the most effective.
Temperature: Being too hot or too cold can disrupt your baby’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. The ideal temperature for sleep is between 18-20degrees Celsius. It is not always possible to achieve this, so it’s important to dress them for the temperature of the room. Most sleeping bags come with a TOG rating and layering guide to help you out!
Sleep space: In accordance with the safe sleep guidelines, your baby’s sleep space should be their own space, kept free of any loose bedding, soft toys, and the mattress should be firm. A comforter or lovely can be safely introduced from 7months onwards.